Pirra, formerly known by Deltorans as "the Twin",[1] was an island located north of Deltora, beyond the Barrier Mountains. Before the monarchy of Deltora, the island was conquered by the Shadow Lord, who shrouded it in dark clouds, deformed the landscape, to which it became known as the Shadowlands.
Before the Shadow Lord arrived, Pirra was a beautiful green country north of Deltora that was inhabited by the Pirrans. Pirra was protected by a magical pipe, known as the Pirran Pipe. The pipe played such powerful notes that no evil could get past Pirra's borders. A few Deltorans attempted to enter Pirra but did not succeed, so they began to ignore their northern neighbour.[1]
However, when the Pirran Piper of those days died, three newcomers attempted to become the new Piper. They were known as Plume the Brave, Auron the Fair, and Keras the Unknown. Because the pipe was not being played, this allowed the Shadow Lord to secretly enter Pirra unnoticed. As was the custom of deciding the new piper, the three played in turn before the people, who then voted for their favourite. However, each player received an equal amount of votes. When the votes were called equal for the thirteenth time, the crowd turned against each other and attacked themselves with their magic.
It is then that the Shadow Lord, disguised with a hooded cloak, came forward and offered a solution. He said that the contestants should share the honour of being Piper, and each player should receive one part of the Pirran Pipe. The tired and angry people agreed, and each group went their separate ways.
The pipe did not play the next day, so evil entered Pirra. Because the groups were too far apart to make the Pirran Pipe whole again, they used the last of their magic to escape. The Pirrans fled into a series of caverns underneath Deltora and The Shadowlands, leaving the Shadow Lord to do as he wished with the island. Pirra was then enveloped by shadows and taken over by the Shadow Lord, and became known as the Shadowlands.
The Pirran Pipe was fundamental to Pirran society, as its music was able to keep out all evil from the island. Each morning, noon and evening the pipe would be played by a piper, as decided by Pirrans. When the piper died, a new one would be voted on.
Geography
The magical illusion of Pirra created by the dome on the isle of Auron showed a land of green velvety soft grass under a perfect blue sky, with soft purple hills in the horizon, where the air was fragrant with flowers.
