Board Thread:Deltora Quest General Discussion/@comment-5411265-20160209014215

Hi you lot!

I've been thinking about whether to classify Deltora as a country or not, as it's commonly referred to as a kingdom. I've included all mentions of 'country' below to come to a decision. 'Countryside' is used frequently throughout the books to refer to Northern Deltora, usually to depict how the "countryside had got rougher". Other 'country' mentions use it to say that the "country on their side had changed", in reference to countryside.

1. After suggesting that the trio should go and tell the people of Noradz the truth, Barda responds by saying "And then the Shadow Lord would bring down his wrath on Noradz, make the people do his will by force instead of by trickery, and begin scouring the country for us.” (City of the Rats)

2. Steven comments that “Why do you not stay where you are safe? This part of the country is not kind to travellers.” (The Maze of The Beast)

3. Zeean comments on Pirra, suggesting it itself is a country: "Why, that is madness. If the Pipe ever existed at all, it surely exists no longer. Its country has become the Shadowlands!" (Cavern of The Fear)

4. In the 'story so far' section it says "Lief, Barda and Jasmine have learned that the Shadowlands was in ancient times the magical land of Pirra, a beautiful country protected by the fabled Pirran Pipe." Looks like Pirra is a country now without doubt! (Isle of Illusion)

5. During a section where it shows Jasmine's thoughts, it mentions "For the first time she faced the fact that her hasty rush to the Os-Mine Hills might have disastrous results for her country." (Isle of Illusion)

6. Lief responds to Jasmine, saying, "But if we do, we could be condemning them to die despising themselves for betraying their friends and their country." (The Shadowlands)

7. Lindal uses country to show territory, as often it is used in the books too: "This is my country. Sit! Rest! I will build a fire and hunt for some food." (Dragon's Nest)

8. Lief uses country to refer to territory also, "‘If we can cross the border into amethyst country, it will not be able to follow!" (Isle of the Dead)

9. Bess says to the trio "What has brought you to this part of the country, may I ask?" (Shadowgate)

10. Doss, now The Keeper, says "Nothing can stand against the power of the Crystal. Not love of family, or friends, or home. Not loyalty to a clan or a country. Not even the mind games of an enemy.” This suggests that the island of Maris itself may be a country, as clans refer to the three Maris clans, and the mind games to that used on Doss by the Zebak. (Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal)

I believe both Secrets of Deltora and Tales of Deltora refer to Deltora has 'land' or 'island', never country, though I may be wrong. The Three Doors has no mention of 'country', only 'countryside'.

From this information, I think we can conclude that 'country' is used to refer to both Deltora as a whole, but also used to refer to territories. It is commonly used to refer to Deltoran countryside also. What are your thoughts? I'm excited to add this information to the wiki, in particular, expanding the Deltora page!  