Valley of the Lost (location)

"A thick grey mist crawled sullenly on the valley floor. It lapped to the very tops of the trees, stirred by the slow movements of half-seen figures that thronged the depths."

- The Valley of the Lost

The Valley of the Lost is a valley located in Diamond territory. It was previously known as Haven Vale until the Shadow Lord overtook it. It was the hiding location of the Diamond until Lief, Barda and Jasmine took it from the Guardian.

Secrets of Deltora
Doran the Dragonlover mentioned Haven Vale in his book Secrets of Deltora.

The Deltora Book of Monsters
After pirates raided Rithmere, Fardeep, the owner of the Champion Inn, sought refuge in the valley. The Shadow Lord used Fardeep's desperation to corrupt him and change him into the Guardian in exchange for returning everything he lost. The Shadow Lord's magic created a poisonous mist over the valley that drove away all the animals.

After escaping from the pirates that raided his village, Ranesh stumbled into the Valley of the Lost. The Guardian offered him a chest of gold if he could win a game, but Ranesh refused, since loosing the game would mean forfeiting his freedom to the Guardian. He eventually told his experience to Josef.

The Forests of Silence
After the Shadow Lord's invasion of Deltora, one of the seven Ak-Baba gave the great Diamond from the Belt of Deltora to the Guardian for safe keeping. He used the Diamond as a replacement reward for anyone who agreed to play his game.

When the Torans broke their oath to protect the kings and queens of Deltora, they were banished from their city and made their way to the Valley of the Lost. The Guardian used his magic to transform them into grey shadows of themselves and forced them to remain in the valley as his subjects.

At least seven years after the Torans arrival, Doom arrived in the Valley of the Lost, looking for the Diamond. He became the first person to win the Guardian's game, which was to guess his name. The name he discovered was Endon, the former king of Deltora, which made Doom believe that the king had joined the Shadow Lord. As such, he left the valley without taking the Diamond and went on to form the second resistance against the Shadow Lord.

The Valley of the Lost
Lief, Barda, and Jasmine came to the Valley of the Lost to search for the Diamond in order to complete the Belt of Deltora. They were accompanied by Neridah, who had the desire to steal the Diamond for herself. The companions agreed to play the Guardian's game, but Neridah declined and pretended to leave, then doubled back so she could steal the Diamond. However, for her treachery, the Diamond killed her by having her slip and drown in a river.

When the companions solved the Guardian's riddle and retrieved the Diamond, they broke the spell over the valley, returning it and its inhabitants to their true form.

Return to Del
The companions remained in the valley when Doom, Dain, and Steven arrived to investigate their success and it is used as a temporary base of opperations where Lief, Barda, Doom, and Zeean planned out how to hold the ceremony to find the heir to Deltora. When the Shadow Lord sent an Ak-Baba to check on the valley, the Torans used their magic to create a false fog to give the impression that the valley was still under the Shadow Lords control.