| Adin knew that he was the one who must fill the medallions in the belt.
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Lief's cloak is a magical[1][2] cloak woven by King Lief's mother, Sharn, that changes colour to match the surrounding area, practically making the wearer invisible when they hide underneath it.[3][3][1][2] She gave it to him for his sixteenth birthday, after Endon had given him his sword, on the same day he embarked on the quest for the Belt of Deltora with Barda.[3] Since that day, and throughout their many quests, the cloak has helped the companions, Lief, Barda and Jasmine, on numerous occasions and saved their lives many times.
It is unknown if King Lief owns and/or uses the claok to this day, around 12 years after his, Queen Jasmine and Captain Barda's third and last quest.
History[]
The Forests of Silence[]
For his sixteenth birthday, Sharn gave Lief a magic cloak that would keep him warm on his quest to restore the Belt of Deltora. At the time, Lief was still unaware of the cloak's concealing abilities.
When Lief and Barda arrived in the Forests of Silence they were quickly incapacitated by the Wenn and brought to the offering place. Jasmine came across them and tried to steal Lief's cloak. Lief managed to convince her that they were not her enemies and she left the cloak by Lief while she ran off.
Later Jasmine returned with the antidote to the Wenn poison. She helped Lief and Barda to get up in the tree. The Wennbar tried to devour them but was eventually unable to reach them although it kept trying. While on one the highest branches they settled underneath the cloak to keep themselves warm. At that moment the Wennbar stopped trying and moved back. The companions concluded that the cloak must have hid them.[3]
The Lake of Tears[]
The companions hid under Lief's cloak when the Grey Guards approached them with the Ralad prisoner. They remained hidden until all of the guards were asleep.Then they silently emerged and took the Ralad man away from the guards. Unfortunately the guards woke and the companions narrowly escaped their fury.
Later, when escaping from Jin and Jod across the quicksand that encircled their home, Jasmine was hit by an axe on her shoulder thrown by Jin. She fell forward, toppling off the stepping stone she stood on and begun to sink. Lief, who had gotten to the bank, tore off his cloak, twisted and knotted it to make a thick cord out of it, and Barda, who was at Jasmine's side, tied it around Jasmine. Together Lief and Barda managed to pull Jasmine close enough to the bank to reach her and drag her out of the quicksand.[4]
City of the Rats[]
In Tom's shop the companions looked for any possessions to offer Tom in return for his products. Tom, realising that Lief’s cloak had special powers, asked if he was willing to trade it but Lief rejected his offer, explaining that it "could make its wearer almost invisible" and had saved their lives more than once and thus was not for sale.[1]
The Shifting Sands[]
At the edge of the plain upon which Hira was built, Kree warned the companions of an approaching Ak-Baba. The companions had nowhere to hide with barren earth behind them and a deep, wide stretch of water in front of them. Barda then had the idea to use Lief's cloak and hide under it in the water. Optimistic that the plan might work to deceive the Ak-Baba, the companions plunged in the water. Below the surface the companions gathered underneath the cloak and waited for the Ak-Baba to fly past them. Before this happened, fish gathered around and above the companions. Lief felt like the fish were trying to drown him when they were actually concealing the companions from the Ak-Baba. Meanwhile Lief was afraid the Ak-Baba might look down and notice that a section of the stream was different than the rest, but it never did.
On their way through the Shifting Sands the companions heard the Grey Guards approaching. They had been following the tracks in the sand. Lief came up with a plan to avoid them. He instructed Barda and Jasmine to walk backwards fitting their feet inside their footprints in the sand. When they reached the edge of a dune, they sidestepped and hid underneath the cloak.[5]
Return to Del[]
Lief, Barda and Jasmine used the cloak to sneak out of Steven's cart while Steven distracted the Grey Guards ahead. Unfortunately the companions stumbled into the Gripper field without knowing how dangerous the plants were.[6]
The Isle of Illusion[]
On Auron King Lief, Barda and Jasmine witnessed the dome tearing open, slowly creating a gap for the Arach. Soon the beasts were entering the Dome and rushing towards the statue. Lief suggested to hide underneath the cloak and instructed Barda and Jasmine to do so at once while he would fetched Auris. The piper refused to abandon the statue and rigidly attempted to steady the shattering illusion. Lief hurried to Barda and Jasmine and together they hid underneath the cloak while the Arach rushed past them.[7]
The Shadowlands[]
Shadowgate[]
Description[]
The cloak is finely woven, made with a rare, special fabric,[3] worthy of the looms of Tora according to Zeean, despite ordinary string thread being used in its marking.[6] The cloak is soft, light, and warm, and Sharn used every art she knew in its making, weaving into it much love and many memories into, as well as strength and warmth. The colour of the cloak is hard to tell, as it changes depending on the surroundings. When Lief was presented with it by Sharn, it was hard for him to tell if it was brown, green or grey, and he decided that it was somewhere between all three, like river-water in autumn.
The cloak is very large, as it is able to cover both Lief, Barda and Jasmine at the same time, although they need to bow down low to do so.[3] Lief wears the cloak double-tied at the neck.[4]
Appearances[]
Deltora Quest[]
Deltora Quest 1[]
- The Forests of Silence
- The Lake of Tears
- City of the Rats
- The Shifting Sands
- Dread Mountain
- The Maze of the Beast
- The Valley of the Lost
- Return to Del
Deltora Quest 2[]
Deltora Quest 3[]
Trivia[]
- In the books the cloak is described as having no single colour, since it changes colour to match its surroundings. In the anime, the cloak appears dark blue and in the Nintendo DS game, it appears green.
- In the anime, the cloak is depicted as an actual invisibility cloak, whereas in the books it simply changes colours to match the surroundings. However, when the cloak's magic is "activated", it is given the look of being somewhat iridescent, with multiple colours.
- Although not specifically mentioned in every book in the Deltora Quest series, Lief was wearing or at least carrying his cloak in all of them, except when disguised. The cloak is mentioned in every book of the first and second series, but only in three out of the four books in the third, in Dragon's Nest, Shadowgate and Isle of the Dead, and only once in the first and third of them. It can howvwer be assumed that he wore it throughout all four books, including The Sister of the South.
- The wagon used by Laughing Jack uses "disguising magic" that is similar to that of Lief's cloak, though far more powerful, according to Steven the peddlar. When he, King Lief, Captain Barda and Jasmine comes to The Funnel, at first Lief is unable to see the wagon, only seeing the barely sloping rock, a mist of spray from the waterfall, and gleams and shadows, but he then notices a tiny movement, focuses his eyes and suddenly sees the large wagon and the four black horses yoked to it.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Rodda, Emily. City of the Rats. Scholastic Australia. June 1, 2000.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Rodda, Emily. Shadowgate. Scholastic Australia. February 1, 2004.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Rodda, Emily. The Forests of Silence. Scholastic Australia. May 1, 2000.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Rodda, Emily. The Lake of Tears. Scholastic Australia. May 29, 2000.
- ↑ Rodda, Emily. The Shifting Sands. Scholastic Australia. July 1, 2000.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Rodda, Emily. Return to Del. Scholastic Australia. November 1, 2001.
- ↑ Rodda, Emily. The Isle of Illusion. Scholastic Australia. March 1, 2002.