#deltora quest was in there

[iizgonnaeeeeeeeeeatyou]

Ok so it went:

Ultramarine is a kind of blue paint,

which also known as cobalt,

which is a pigment made from a mineral also called lapis lazuli,

which is a "crystal",

often used by new age folk to represent wealth and divine inspiration,

because it was very expensive and was used to make a blue paint that historically was reserved for the very wealthy and was near exclusively used in church commissioned biblical art.

due to it's rich history, symbolism, vibrant colour, and fairly unique name, it is often used within works of fiction as either a revered object or as a character's name.

its really telling where you learned about lapis lazuli. put yours in the tags

[sisterofthesouth]

I Suffered Lethal Fall Damage In The City Of The Rats And All I Got Was This Stupid Opal

[aokozaki]

Okay this is genuinely a hilarious gag, kudos to Emila Rodda.

In City of the Rats, Lief and Barda blame the ruined state of the city on the Shadow Lord, and Jasmine angrily rebukes that they can't blame every problem in Deltora on the Shadow Lord - he's been in power for a mere 16 years, and much went wrong due to the Royal Family's neglect. And the ruins of this city are much older.

So then they meet the lord of this place, a colossal serpent named Reeah. Lief tries to keep him distracted so Barda and Jasmine can sneak around and hopefully try to reach the Opal embedded in Reeah's crown.

Lief, keeping him busy, talks to him, and eventually asks who his "master" he mentioned is:

In the middle of an otherwise serious scene, Jasmine is audibly annoyed at getting that wrong. That's hilarious.

[obsessionsofrozh]

[disgruntledexplainer]

Deltora, a subversion of fantasy tropes (or perhaps more accurately going back to it's roots)

@yellow-eyed-green-crocodile OK, here we go.

Deltora Quest is a children's book series. It consists of 16 books, though it exists in an expanded universe which contains another 12 books, not counting Tales of Deltora, Secrets of Deltora, and Monsters of Deltora (as well as the little-known extra book The Land of Dragons, which contains about half of what's in Tales of Deltora plus 3 additional stories which you can't find anywhere else).

The books were written during that time when Scholastic was doing it's darnedest to get kids to actually pick up a book and read. You know, the era of Animorphs, Secrets of Droon, and other books like that. Pre-harry-potter stuff. But deltora always stuck out as somewhat... odd.

For one thing, the setting. Deltora is a land absolutely INFESTED with horrifying monsters. we're talking lovecraft-level stuff. indeed, these things are so powerful that going toe-to-toe with them in conventional combat is laughably absurd. I mean, just look at this thing:

each of those little globes is a stomach the size of a PERSON. a sword ain't doin SHIT against that thing. and it wasn't even the primary monster from the book it came from. do you know what was? THE SAND IT'S STANDING ON. YES, THAT ENTIRE DESERT IS A SINGLE MONSTER.

there are also dark sorcerers, capable of, for example, turning an entire town into a fetid swamp in a split second, and deflecting any weapon directed at them. the main villain is a sorcerer of such incredible power that he makes zeus and odin look like chumps.

in order to defeat these creatures, the main characters are consistently forced to use their wits instead of their weapons.

but this isn't what I am writing this post about. every fantasy book has monsters of some kind. probably. no, what REALLY stands out about the Deltora Quest series is the BELT.

this is the Belt of Deltora, a composite magic item formed from 7 gems, each linked to the power of the land, bound together by a belt made by a simple blacksmith who united the seven tribes of deltora and became it's first king. it is considered the single most powerful mystical object on the continent, and uniting it is Deltora's only hope for survival.

except from a generic fantasy perspective, it kinda sucks.

in most generic fantasy settings, the characters are attempting to accumulate magical power which they can use to engage their enemies directly in combat; alternatively, they may be trying to build a big enough army or something similar. but the gems don't work like that. lets take a look at what the gems can actually do, shall we?

the Diamond: Gem of Strength or Fortitude, can give physical strength, fortitude, and courage to the wielder, as well as the ability to cure diseases in the person who touches it. it punishes those who attempt to take it in a dishonorable manner with misfortune. It can allow the wearer to telepathically communicate with and heal Diamond Dragons, and a nearby dragon of it's type boosts it's power, and vice versa. it also has this weird synergy with the topaz where the topaz can summon the strength of everyone who believes in the wearer (in a metaphorical sense) and the diamond transforms that belief into physical strength.

the Emerald: Gem of Honor, dulls in the presense of evil or at the location of a broken vow, is a remedy for sores and ulcers, and is an antidote to poison for whomever touches it. It can allow the wearer to telepathically communicate with and heal Emerald Dragons, and a nearby dragon of that type boosts it's power, and vice versa. Note that out of all the dragons, emerald dragons are arguably the biggest and most powerful. It might have other powers as well, as it's potential isn't as well explored as the other gems.

Lapis Lazuli: Gem of Luck or Providence, protects the wearer from evil and brings good fortune. also may have some subtle effect on the weather, though that hasn't been confirmed. it is arguably the most powerful of the gems for the protection it provides, but the nature of it's power is ill defined, and certainly outside of the wearer's ability to control. It also allows you to detect the location of the Opal as if it were a compass, and is more powerful when in close proximity to it. It can allow the wearer to telepathically communicate and heal Lapis Lazuli dragons, and a nearby dragon of that type boosts it's power, and vice versa. If the opal has it's power boosted by a nearby opal dragon, the Lapis Lazuli's power is also boosted if they are close to each other.

Topaz: Gem of Faith, can allow the wearer to make contact with the spirit world during a full moon. the character can see ghosts, and sometimes the spirits of the hallowed dead (those who are in heaven) will appear to the character and given advice, those this is extremely rare. It also clears and strengthens the mind and protects the wearer from the terrors of the night (also ill-defined). It's powers are all strengthened during the full moon. It can allow the wearer to telepathically communicate with and heal topaz dragons, and a nearby dragon of that type boosts it's power, and vice versa.

Opal: Gem of Hope, has the power to give glimpses of the future and can enhance the wearer's vision, and it can also fill the wearer with hope for the future (which helps counteract the panic that the visions of the future often produce). It can detect the Lapis Lazuli like a compass, and is more powerful when in close proximity to it. It allows the wearer to telepathically communicate with and heal opal dragons, and a nearby dragon of that type boosts it's power, and vice versa. If the Lapis Lazuli has it's power boosted by a nearby lapis lazuli dragon, the opal's power is also boosted if they are close to each-other.

The Ruby: Gem of Happiness or Love, it grows pale in the presense of evil, or when misfortune threatens it's wearer. Can be used in conjunction with the emerald to fully distinguish between danger, evil, and vow-breakers, since their powers overlap a little. It wards off evil spirits (also ill-defined) and is an antidote to snake venom, and also apparently repels snakes and venomous creatures in general. It allows the wearer to telepathically communicate with and heal ruby dragons, and a nearby dragon of that type boosts it's power, and vice versa.

The Amethyst: Gem of Truth or Wisdom, changes color in the presence of illness, pales near poisoned food or drink, and guides the wearer toward sincerity, security and peace of mind (AKA calming the wearer when touched). It also boosts the power of Toran Magic. By A LOT. It allows the wearer to telepathically communicate with and heal Amethyst dragons, and a nearby dragon of that type boosts it's power, and vice versa.

True, this is a lot of variety in powers, but with the exception of the Diamond most of this is pretty useless in combat. Especially given that the sorcerers in this world can do things like call lightning down from the sky, or create and control thousands of soldiers made out of goo. And compared to the combat capabilities of end-game weapons of other setting? it's chump change. it should be noted that the gems DO NOT allow the wielder to control dragons, only telepathically communicate with them, meaning that the King of Deltora must still negotiate to get any help, and the Dragons are rarely cooperative, even in the face of their own extinction. The gems don't give you the ability to control the elements, warp space and time, kill with a thought, fly, or turn into a glowing giant (whatever the anime adaptation might say to the contrary).

No, what the gems allow the user to do is: keep a level and clear head, detect potentially dangerous situations, and heal people of ailments.

but here's the thing; given what I said about the monsters in deltora, any of the spectacular kinds of magic would be pretty much useless. The Shadow Lord is beyond anything any mortal is capable of fighting; he has integrated his twisted will with the spirit of half a continent, and has experimenting with new and more twisted kinds of magic for thousands of years. Frankly, even by the standards of most "dark lords" like Sauron, Melkor, and Galbatorix, he is unimaginably powerful. a direct confrontation with him is laughable.

so then, why is the Belt considered one of the most powerful objects on the planet?

Well, because what it grants isn't power.

it grants FREEDOM.

freedom is defined as "the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so perform deliberate actions on one's own responsibility. By free will one shapes one's own life. Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness[...]" -Catechism of the Catholic Church section 1731

in other words, Freedom, properly defined, is not the ability to do what one wants; that is power, not freedom. Freedom is the ability to do what one NEEDS to do. Freedom to protest. Freedom to preach. Freedom to worship. Freedom to defend oneself both physically and legally. These are freedoms.

Now lets look again at what the belt enables one to do. It allows one to clear and calm one's mind and strengthens one's will, heals, protects from certain kinds of danger, and allows one to heal others. These are not powers, they are FREEDOMS.

oh yeah, and I forgot one more of these freedoms:

WHEN ALL THE GEMS ARE PUT IN THE BELT TOGETHER, THEY PRODUCE A MAGICAL SCREEN WHICH BANISHES DARK MAGIC AND THOSE WHOSE SOULS ARE TAINTED BY IT.

it is not combat power, but it is a power FAR GREATER THAN ANY COMBAT POWER COULD EVER FEASIBLY BE

In a sense, this subverts normal fantasy tropes by going back to its roots. When JRR Tolkien wrote the Lord of the Rings, he wrote a book about simple working class and middle class people defeating an evil by DESTROYING POWER (with a One Ring being a kind of stand-in for power itself in all it's forms). yet, it seems that every writer since has taken a look at his work and gone "look at all this cool world-building and monsters and magic! but the protagonists and themes are kinda lame. I KNOW, i'll REPLACE those complex and nuanced themes with EDGY GRIZZLED WARRIORS AND POWER-HUNGRY SORCERERS, and make the story all about CONSOLIDATING AS MUCH POWER AS POSSIBLE TO DEFEAT SOMEONE WHO HAS ALSO CONSOLODATED AS MUCH POWER AS POSSIBLE, BUT IN AN EVIL WAY. sometimes they even have their characters performing actions which are completely morally bankrupt (razing cities, killing civilians or surrendering enemies, etc), and justify it because "main villain is worse". because in other words, most fantasy writers decided to completely rip off all of tolkien's world, down to the very creatures that inhabit it, but HORRIBLY INVERT the themes

Meanwhile, Deltora seems to do the opposite. It doesn't copy Tolkien's world. there are similarities; the Shadow Lord is kinda like Sauron if you squint a little. but the world is populated with plenty of creatures that don't line up at all, and even those that are similar are only superficially so. meanwhile, Emily Rodda (the author) took a look at Tolkien's themes, smiled and nodded, and proceeded to ELABORATE UPON THEM. The kingdom of deltora fell because the rulers detached themselves from the needs of the common man and physically separated themselves from them out of cowardice. the shadow lord twists and destroys nature to produce his horrific experiments which mirror in many ways modern genetic engineering. the battle is won not through force of arms, but through planning, cleverness, and uniting the tribes under a common cause.

there are other things, like how each gem corresponds to one of the seven virtues, or how so much emphais is put on using logic to solve problems, and similar things, but this post is long as it is, so i'm going to stop here.

[bladeofolympus]

Okay what's Deltora quest

hi Kay ilu

Deltora Quest is an Australian book series by Emily Rodda following 3 main characters;

Lief - a 16yo son of a blacksmith. he's very smart and loses his sword so often. backup moves including chucking shit at monsters

Barda - a soldier tasked with keeping Lief alive. He owes Lief's dad and also believes in the Belt of Deltora and he is the token adult

Jasmine - a 16yo girl that the other two meet by chance in a nearby forest. She has lived in the forest her whole life and can talk to animals/trees. She is so violent and i love her

(honorable mention) Kree & Filli - Jasmine's animal companions. Kree is a raven and Filli is some nebulous Furry Animal. like a squirrel or something

The three of them go on a quest through the country of Deltora looking for 7 magical gems that will complete the Belt of Deltora, a magical artifact that only works (fully) for the true heir of Deltora. Using the belt will help drive out the evil Shadow Lord from Deltora and end his reign of tyranny!!

There are so many fucked up monsters in these books and there are so many riddles too. I again have not read them in years (currently rereading the first one). My favorite book as a kid was City of the Rats because Lief almost gets eaten alive by a swarm of rats

Also they made a manga/anime of Deltora Quest and while its not super accurate to the books, it is a fun way to get the main points of the plot for anyone who doesn't have the time/energy to read at least 7 books (and apparently the two sister series I didn't know existed until this week)

[addicted2coke-theothercoke]

Every now and then I rediscover my interest in Deltora Quest, clearly that series had a far greater affect on me then I thought, but that's not important right now

What's important was I was thinking about the three "riddles" they're given in book two in order to cross the bridge. I just think the differences between them are kind of funny

Jasmin gets a logic puzzle(puzzles are kind of a staple of Deltora Quest, which is love)

Barda gets an actual riddle

AND LEIF GETS RAPID FIRE MATH

Giant practically says pop quiz and just starts listing numbers

And it's a total cheat because it requires you to know Thaegan eats live Ravens

Giant took one look at Leif and said that kid is going to die today

[hollowmoon-art]

favorite books from my childhood

(From left to right: Percy, Hiccup, Katniss, Eragon and Saphira, Will and Leif)

[madrone33]

Can I rant for a bit about how cool it is that one of Lief's defining traits is that he's smart? Like, not even necessarily cunning or clever or street smart (though he's totally that too) but just. Book smart. He knows maths and history and english and he uses that knowledge for stuff! And! He's also cunning and clever and street smart and a fighter at the same time!

And I know it's not that big a deal, but normally in adventure stories, especially for a younger audience, the hero's strengths are more in sword fighting or magic casting or being really good at parkour. And here the hero is smart and he's proud of it, and his friends are proud of it, and the world is proud of it! Literally! Deltora Quest as a world and a plot revolves around puzzles and riddles and putting clues together more than it does on physical fights. In almost every battle they get into, the day is won not by being better at fighting than their opponents, but because they realised the loophole or figured out some vital info in the nick of time. (And I say almost every battle, because Jasmine is both willing and able to stab a bitch.)

The Topaz that clears and strengthens the mind is probably the most used Gem in the whole series, because Lief knows its value so well. And even when he can't rely on its strength, when the moon is new or the Belt is covered, he's still using his brains to find his way out of impossible situations! It's just! So cool!

Brain over brawn and all that, except not really, 'cause he's also a badass with the sword! Wtf! Lief why are you so cool??

Deltora is probs my fav series. I am OBSESSED with the characters and worldbuilding, but the codes and riddles and puzzles? That is my jam you guys. I studied those things. Every time a new one came up, I memorised it! I tried recreating it! It was awesome! And the Lief + Jasmine combo of "Basically-A-Nerd Who Is Awesome" and "Badass Fleshed-Out Women My Beloved" who are besties before love-interests was a pinnacle of my childhood.

[thisisindeedausername]

"i grew up reading percy jackson", "i grew up reading harry potter" yeah ok but where are the people that grew up reading deltora quest i need to find my people

[draconeye45]

the completed pic!

the au this is based on is basically wakko's wish crossed with a book series collectively known as Deltora Quest (which is and still is one of my favorites and close to my heart) The first part of the series focused on retrieving powerful gems that when united form the Belt of Deltora, a magic item that banishes evil creatures from the land when worn by the rightful king.

the land's enemy used spies and a scheme spanning centuries to separate the gems in the belt and taker over the kingdom (the book's big bad would be Salazaar....though not the Salazaar you may be familiar with, per se)

for the most part this au follows the book plot but a lot of the details would be different. in this au, the Warners are given the dangerous quest of reuniting the gems, as their father is unable to due to a bad leg - as in the books. they are told that once the Belt is completed, it will lead them to the heir to the throne, thought to be in hiding.

idk if i'll ever actually write this out...for now i think i'll just draw stuff.

[sisterofthesouth]

after weeks of planning and editing, my comprehensive look into deltora quest is done!

i interviewed friends and family to discuss the lore, cover rodda's excellent handling of difficult topics, investigate the mysterious rarity of the books in the western hemisphere, talk about the impact the books had on us as fantasy readers, and pitch the series to new readers.

thanks for watching, and special thanks to @withickmire, @zahroreadsthings, @dragonloverdoran , and my (very offline) sister for their participation 🫶

[themaudlinmimic]

High Effortposting about my Favourite Fantasy Book Series

A lot of pixels have been spilled on the inherent comedic potential of a character being in the wrong genre. More often than not, this is spent on stuff like that one post about how Sherlock would thrive in an isekai setting or how Columbo would crush the death note mystery. That kind of thing. But in terms of characters quite clearly in the wrong genre, and the interesting stories that can arise from this, I have a bit of an oddball pick.

Deltora Quest is a children's fantasy series which any australian worth their salt has hopefully read. The story is about a young boy and his travelling companions assembling a mystical artefact to defeat the dark lord. The issue being that the dark lord is an insanely powerful sorcerer who has lived for centuries, conquered the entire land so slowly nobody realised it had happened until too late, and rules with an army of monsters and grunts that do his dark bidding. In the end, he is of course defeated by the fully assembled Belt of Deltora and the powerful warding magic it represents, but it takes some time for his influence to fully leave the land.

How was it that such a powerful overlord was defeated? Was it because he failed to account for the indomitable human spirit? His inability (mostly) to make shapeshifters that didn't have a glaringly obvious tell? The fact that evil shall fall and good shall triumph as a base rule of most fantasy?

Well, sure. But I think it's mainly because he's not actually a sorcerer, but a mad scientist in entirely the wrong genre.

Let's start with the basics. Magic in this series can generally be classified into two categories: quirky little oddities that are largely bound to a single place or family, and Real Shit. There are springs of water which can let you see dreams, honey that gives you superspeed if you're a horse, and the actual literal hulk living out his days as a travelling salesman. Baubles, in short. There are also the ancient gems of Deltora, powerful talismans that can ward off all evil, and the sacred city of Tora, home to endless magic and miracles. These two categories are fairly set: the former can appear anywhere but needs cleverness to exploit, and the latter require very specific circumstances to actually work but are basically unstoppable. Magic is either widely applicable but weak, or rare and impossible to use without specific pre-requisites but incredibly strong.

The Shadow Lord, in no particular order, displays the following magical capabilities:

The construction of extremely painful projectile weapons from frog venom and careful construction.

The large scale creation of obedient armies of near-identical almost humans, show explicitly to be grown in "vats".

The ability to speak over long distances and record sounds and sights using a magic mirror.

The creation of vast machinery that billows out smoke and poisons the land.

Accelerated "evolution" and "mutation" (sic) of base creatures by exposure to a strange type of glowing rock.

As a last resort, in the final book of the final series, an actual literal self-replicating matter eating grey goo that can only be stopped by the heat of pure dragonfire.

I'm not certain that he's a sorcerer as well, but it's definitely possible. There are actual no-shit knowledge based sorcerers in this setting, magic is something that can be learned if you are very old and very lucky. It might help explain some of his stranger abilities, such as existing in a non-corporeal form. But what he's capable of obviously goes beyond that. My hunch is that there is a difference between the magic he has learned and the technology he wields, in that one could probably be replicated by even normal people given time and resources, but it's a difference nobody in the setting (maybe not even him) is aware of.

As for his motivations, he doesn't attack Deltora out of some ancient grudge. He is aggressively pragmatic about it. He wants the place for its vast natural resources, and its favorable ports that shall allow him to send vast legions of warships. He's the estranged disfavored son of a noble family, if the deep lore is to be believed, and that's some prime mad scientist material if I ever heard it. He has a history of encountering beautiful magical things, such as dragons and the singing sisters, and creating false versions of them when he couldn't bend the original to his will. I'm not arguing just based on word association with scifi bullshit here. There's themes to this. Whenever given the opportunity, he behaves like a mad scientist would.

And as for how he ultimately gets defeated? Magic. Again and again, it's magic. He can't breach Tora, so he besieges it and cuts it off from the rest of the country with subtle manipulations. He can't destroy the belt, so he scatters the pieces of it. When he is defeated for the first time, it's with a magic belt. When he's briefly taken out a second time, it's with a magical flute. While my memories of his third appearance are hazy, you can bet it was magic that stopped him then as well. He doesn't understand magic beyond a surface level, beyond his own tricks, he can't truly replicate it, and he can't stand against it.

The Shadow Lord is a villain in the wrong genre. And this is his greatest strength just as it is his greatest weakness. This is why you'll never win, Shadow Lord. None of that nonsense about good triumphing over evil: the entire setting is just an outside context solution to your outside context problem. But if it's any consolation, I'm sure that somewhere out there, there's a foul sorcerer trapped in an old world university with a stitched up corpse and a lightning rod wondering how the hell he got there as well.