i. FLOATING AT THE SURFACE

[00:00] Pools of candlelight shimmer white on the high walls of the banquet hall. Brugelda sits at a long table, surrounded by relatives and close friends of the family. She is 9 years old. The person sitting next to her leans over and says in a low melodious voice, “Well, after all, he doesn’t mean any harm.”

Dwarg sits at the head of the table. In his upturned right hand lies a bulbous sqqawpy-pouch, its softly steaming tentacles spilling onto the tablecloth. His left hand twists in the air, forming strange symbols, which frighten the Goatlords crouched at his feet. But no, that is not her nephew - the withered face turns and black eyes fix upon her. She cries out in a hoarse whisper, “What have I done, Kvaark…”

[00:39] Bright sunlight pulls her from sleep. She is lying on a bed of weeds and cool water under open sky. She rises to a sitting position and surveys her surroundings: lake, island, small cottage. She knows where she is.

She enters the long-abandoned ruin and picks her way through the cobwebs and shards of light to an old chest of drawers. She opens one drawer after another, unceremoniously rummaging and flinging out contents until she finds what she is looking for.

[1:03] She blows into the bone whistle, which she once long ago gave to Dwarg on his 100th birthday, and summons a giant orostru down from the mountains. It can only fly short distances, but with its long legs it can run quickly over all kinds of terrain. The orostru is a feral bird, but Brugelda is having no nonsense - she keeps tight rein on her steed as they journey on across the land, occasionally passing through small settlements where they rest, take refreshment and collect items as necessary, but always pressing onward towards the Bone Forest of Ballinklaw…

ii. STRANGE ADVENTURES IN A CLOSED CIRCLE

[00:00] In the village of Plyps, the game is afoot…

[00:06] “My Lord,” says the blacksmith. “Someone has stolen the magic scroll that makes my horseshoes lucky. I need a new scroll from the Uburu clown.” “We shall assist you, good blacksmith,” booms Lord Zenuvion. “Come, Thanny.” They set off through the streets to the house of the clown. “My Lord,” says the clown. “I have a terrible hangover. Someone has stolen my stash of milk liquor and I can’t write lucky scrolls sober! I need more liquor from farmer McDurrdly.”

[00:24] They follow a signpost to the edge of the village, where the farmer is standing in front of his barn. Lord Zenuvion pauses; hasn’t he already spoken to this person? “My Lord,” says the farmer. “I can’t make any more liquor because my cattle were stolen last night, along with my wife. I’d go out looking for them, but my horse needs a new horseshoe.” “Uncle”, says Thannerian. “Let’s go and ask the blacksmith for a horseshoe.”

[00:42] “My Lord,” says the blacksmith. “Someone has stolen the magic scroll that makes my horseshoes lucky. I need a new scroll from the Uburu clown”. “We shall assist you, good blacksmith,” booms Lord Zenuvion. “Come Thanny.” They each pop a fungus crystal and set off through the streets to the house of the clown. Lord Zenuvion is enjoying the adventure, but at the same time he can’t shake the feeling that something is very, very wrong.

[00:59] Thannerian chuckles to himself. Old fool! How easy it is to trap a man with the attention span of a gnat. The Council of Krendo is sure to reward him handsomely!

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iii. BALLAD OF SYBLLL: A DRAGON IN FLIGHT

[00:00] The Duke of Tungaurr watches wistfully from the window as Syblll flies gracefully up through the morning air and away south.

[00:13] He is reminded of summers long past, when Syblll, then but a slip of a girl, came to stay with him and his family at Tungaurr’s Keep. She was a quiet and solitary soul, her parents’ only child. He would have liked to play games with her, but she was always running off somewhere else by herself. People don’t change all that much, do they, he thinks gloomily.

[00:35] Oh well, nothing I can do about that, he decides. He reaches up from his armchair and rings the bell for his servant to bring him tea and biscuits.

[00:43] Expertly navigating the air currents leading south, Syblll makes haste towards Czaldorr. The King Ekann that sent her north was an impostor. And the trouble in Kanbarr was a ruse. But hadn’t she already heard of troubles in the Kanbarr District, before Not-king Ekann prompted her so? Still, what use are these musings… King Ekann, her dear and trusted friend, is dead.

[01:03] Rage and sorrow rise to the fore. A dark feeling, as if attracted to her pain, finds her. With a shift in inner pressure, the world around her is drained of colour, the sky is granite grey, and the sunlight inverted and jagged like rough, broad strokes of black paint. Mirrored in the dark light, she catches the eye of her reflection. The mirrored-dragon moves its head to face her: Not a reflection, but a twin! Zylahhh!

[01:23] Her terrible anger focussed to a single point, Syblll lunges for her sister. They drop through layer upon layer of cloud, tearing mercilessly at each other. Syblll’s teeth sink into Zylahhh with a wet and sickening crunch. Zylahhh roars and, bleeding from her ruined mouth, untangles herself and veers off to the west with Syblll, blinded by fury, in hot pursuit.

[01:45] The bloody scene is suddenly framed as if viewed through the overlapping circles of many looking glasses. Elsewhere in body, the Many-Eyed watches, both hands on a crystal sphere, her fingertips breaking the surface of the glass. Invisible, web-like filaments stretch through the clouds to Zylahhh’s false form, steering her westward. Everything is going according to plan.

[02:05] Syblll, her beloved Czaldorrians forgotten, flies away westward…

iv. RETURN TO THE MAP

[00:00] There are many places on the map and it is the law of this world that one has to visit certain places first before others are unlocked. And so Krzeniax must return to the roads again and again, undaunted by the paucity of information Lady Syblll was able to give him regarding Bannrod’s whereabouts.

He talks to many people, sometimes going back to the same person and trying different questions (occasionally forgetting which questions he’s already asked and having to go through them again and hear the same answers, which is a little frustrating). He receives many seemingly helpful suggestions, but they lead only to dead ends.

He searches high and low, and eventually the road takes him to Krendo, famed for its beautiful gates and wayward populace.

v. WHERE MAY HEROES BE FOUND? YOU MUST LOOK UNDERGROUND!

[00:00] In the secret passageways and dungeons beneath the city of Krendo, Grorb and Bannrod run around solving puzzles, slaying minor enemies and generally having a good time. Grorb is happy to have something exciting to do, while Bannrod enjoys being a supportive sidekick.

They reach a heavy wooden door which won’t open. After trying a few things they realise that Grorb has to lift Bannrod onto a high ledge where he presses a lever with his nose, unlocking the door.

[00:25] They emerge into a large chamber and do battle with a giant sluggernoo. Its soft tissue can be hit only through gaps in its shell that open when it flashes red at timed intervals. It’s a two-player challenge requiring teamwork, and both of them are glad to have a partner by their side and a well-defined role to play.

[00:42] Meanwhile, Krzeniax has also found his way underground, thanks to a tip-off from some unusually helpful rats. He can’t run all that fast down there and it’s dank and slimy; not great for his germophobia. He hopes he will find Bannrod soon. Time is running out…

[01:05] In some other part of the world, as seen from above, the still surface of a lake is disturbed. The muddy bed of the lake has the shape of a face. The face screams silently.

vi. GRIBWING’S FATE

[00:00] The demon guards grab Gribwing out of his cell and drag him along a corridor and down some steps, where they throw him into another cell and lock the door. The cell is very dark and foul-smelling.

Gribwing is brave, but he knows that his situation is dire indeed. He, too, has heard the rumours. Moving carefully in the darkness, he feels his way along the wall, hoping there may be some place to hide. His foot disturbs something hard and dry - bones…

[00:30] The air is thick and fetid. He inches his way along, but then suddenly freezes to the spot. A pair of giant, lidless eyes are staring at him out of the darkness!

[00:42] The Beast bursts from the shadows and pins Gribwing to the floor. For a brief second, he sees its hideous face before he wrenches himself out from under its claws, narrowly escaping its powerful, horned tongue.

[00:54] His only weapon is a silver dagger, useless against its scaly hide. He runs and dodges nimbly, but the Beast’s lair is dark and slimy, it only takes one slip, he falls to the floor, the Beast is upon him…

[01:04] The Beast’s jaws close, avoiding teeth he dives further into its mouth through the stinking cavern, over the edge of the gullet, nothing to grip on to, any second he will fall into burning acid, only one chance left, the silver dagger, a pulse from the wall, a main artery, he summons the last of his strength and slices wide and deep…

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vii. THE HUNTER BECOMES THE HUNTED: CAUGHT IN THE TERRIBLE GAZE

[00:07] Struggling to distinguish shapes in the darkness, Grumhilla crashes headlong through tangled branches and vines, narrowly avoiding several tree trunks and finally falls with a thump to the mossy ground. She looks around. The orofox is nowhere to be seen and the close canopy blots out virtually all light. She is scratched and bruised, and worse she feels cold and sickly. For the first time in as long as she can remember, she is afraid.

[00:26] Sensing that eyes are watching her and she must keep moving, she transforms into a grayvling and scurries off deeper into the wood. Shadows loom at strange angles, the very trees seem stern and unfriendly, crowding over her as she ducks and weaves through the undergrowth. Her body moves skillfully, but her mind is contracted, caught in strange loops she cannot control. She has the feeling the eyes are everywhere, no matter how quickly she runs. She has the feeling she is not running away from something, but towards it.

[00:46] She stops in a clearing, aghast - surely this is the same clearing she landed in! Has she run in a circle? Fearing to stay still, she bolts away in a third direction, quick as ever, but now the fear is rising, is almost at her throat, she feels an unbearable urge to cry out, knows she has been lured here, trapped by someone who grins in the darkness and beckons with clawed finger and her vision slides and terror overtakes her and the world goes black.

[01:08] Strange lights bob green and purple in the dark ocean behind her eyelids. She seems to be dreaming, and yet… a figure looms over her, she cannot discern clearly its shape, nor its face… but then she realises that the lights are eyes, six or seven of them, arrayed disjointedly and yet moving in lockstep. Numb and uncomprehending, she drifts into oblivion.