The Adventure Begins

The Adventure Begins is the first episode of Deltora Quest.

Synopsis
Lief begins his journey with Barda to collect the seven gems of Deltora and save the land from the evil clutches of the Shadow Lord.

Plot
It is another day at Jarred's forge, however while working he realises that Lief is not around. His wife Anna reminds him that it is Lief's 16th birthday and he has gone to the market. Down at the market, a squad of grey guards are placing the mark of the Shadow Lord on an apple orchard, claiming that the orchard is under the property of the Shadow Lord and that no one is allowed to go in. A little girl comes forward and asks for an apple saying that they have very little food, despite her mother pulling her back. The Guards get angry and state again that everything marked belongs to the Shadow Lord. However a stone is thrown into the orchard which causes an apple to drop. The little girl makes a grab for the apple. The guard calls out to the person who threw the rock, a boy standing on a roof top. The boy laughs and says that apple is not branded so it does not belong to anyone. The head guard orders the arrest of him and the family, but Lief saves both of them while almost getting caught by a blister.

From the forge Anna sees the smoke from the village and warns Jarred. Down in the village the Grey Guards follow Lief destroying everything in their path. Lief reaches a dead end but is saved when someone lends him a rope which leads him to safety. The narrator then tells the story how life was before the Shadow Lord arrived and how the seven tribes of Deltora lived peacefully with each other, and each tribe was known to have a precious gem which held great powers. Then from the Shadowlands the Shadow Lord came to conquer Deltora. Separately the tribes were powerless, but Adin a blacksmith from the Del tribe created a belt the combined the seven gems and the seven tribes and drove the Shadow Lord out of Deltora. Adin became the first King of Deltora after this and wore the belt at all times, knowing that the Shadow Lord would one day return. Overtime the belts power was forgotten and the Shadow Lord took this opportunity and seized Deltora, destroyed the belt, scattered the gems, and destroyed Deltora's army. Back at the forge, Jarred talks to Barda who resides at the forge saying that their hiding and patience is nearly over and will pay off. At the palace the Shadow Lord talks to his servant Fallow, saying that something does not feel right. Fallow reassures him that everything is well and if it is the gems he would be more than happy to retrieve them. However, when he request their locations, the Shadow Lord scolds him for asking such information and just tells him to stay alert.

Lief then returns to his home only to have to explain the trouble he caused in the city.

Character debuts

 * Jarred (Endon)
 * Anna (Sharn)
 * Barda
 * Lief
 * Grey Guards
 * Adin
 * Shadow Lord
 * Ak-Baba
 * Endon (Jarred)
 * Fallow
 * Sharn

Characters

 * Lief
 * Barda
 * Adin
 * Endon (Jarred)
 * Sharn (Anna)

Villains

 * Shadow Lord
 * Fallow
 * Grey Guards

Trivia

 * This is the first episode of the Deltora Quest Anime.
 * When Lief touched the belt it glowed suggesting the later fact he is the heir to the throne.
 * The Japanese title translates to " Lief on an Adventurous Journey".