The World of Shannara

by Terry Brooks

  Built in the age of Faerie, the Fortress and the mountains that surround it survived the age of Man and the Great Wars, though most of the people who built it passed to dust long before. The Fortress was constructed within a protective ring of peaks at the edge of an ancient crater, a focal point for the powerful lines of earth magic found within the mountain region. It is the only known fortress to have survived from the age of Faerie, its survival made possible for so long only because of the dark treasure hidden within its midst. For though the Fortress appeared to be abandoned, its discoverers found that the last of its inhabitants still lived within its innermost courtyard. They had been transformed from living Elves and Faerie creatures into an immortal barrier of trees and plants, protecting the talisman responsible for their transformation, the Black Elfstone. All of their humanity had been stripped away, leaving only their hunger and need and the darkest essence of their being. They survived to feed on the power of the Elfstone, and it in turn kept the castle and the garden alive throughout the ages in a twisted symbiosis.

  The lost Fortress of the Chew Magna.

  The Elfstone was discovered and removed in the time of the Second War of the Races. With its removal, the magic, which was all that had maintained the ancient structure, dissipated. The fortress that had survived since before the dawn of Man collapsed into dust and rubble in only moments.

  The Matted Brakes

  To the south the Rill Song crosses the Drey Wood, a dense forest running eastward from the river to high, craggy bluffs. Immediately below Drey Wood, the Rill Song swings westward at the edge of the Matted Brakes, a lowland marsh choked with vegetation. The Brakes split apart the vast Westland forests from the banks of the river, their stagnant lakes and thickets inhabited by creatures that are both vicious and cunning, capable of destroying even something as powerful as a Shadowen creeper. Only experienced Elven Trackers cross the Brakes.

  The Black Elfstone

  One of only three Elfstones known to have survived the ages, the Black Elfstone is a gem as black as ink, with magic more powerful than any other known Elven talisman. Created by the Elves during the time of Faerie, when their magic was at its height, it, like all Elfstones, was designed to join the necessary properties of heart, mind, and body. But the Black Elfstone was the only one to combine these properties within a single stone.

  The Elfstone’s magic is to subvert other magic, no matter its form or strength. Its power is the power of absorption; just as black is the combination of all colors and absorbs all light, so does the Black Elfstone combine all the properties of the user to absorb all magics. This power of the void has no known limits, but the magic it absorbs is transferred into the one who wields the stone. If that person is not capable of containing the absorbed magic, he or she becomes corrupted by it or destroyed. No one can use the Black Elfstone and remain unchanged by that use. There is evidence that even the ancient Faerie creatures that protected it were not immune. Many were corrupted by the magic they absorbed.

  No one knows for certain what purpose the stone was originally intended to serve. It was discovered within the ancient ruins of the Fortress of the Chew Magna, hidden within a gathering of sentient trees and vines. The dark garden was all that was left of the Elven and Faerie creatures who had been corrupted and transformed by the use of the stone’s power. The Elven Druid Tay Trefenwyd retrieved the stone and was the first since the age of Faerie to use its power. He defended his party against a small army of Skull Bearers and Gnomes, using the Elfstone to destroy them. They were instantly annihilated, but the absorption of their dark magic destroyed Tay as well. He succeeded in keeping its power from the Warlock Lord, but at the cost of his life.

  The Druids found a safer purpose for the Elfstone, using it to absorb the magic that hid Paranor away when it left the realm of the living. To protect the stone, the Druids hid it inside the Hall of Kings, within a covered niche in the floor of the Assembly. It remained there for many years, until the Faerie creature Uhl Belk located its hiding place and took it for his own. He replaced the Elfstone with an Asphinx so that anyone who discovered the loss would not survive to report it. Walker Boh was the one unlucky enough to discover the Asphinx. With the aid of another creature of Faerie, he not only survived, but also managed to regain the Black Elfstone from the Stone King and use it to restore Paranor. The Elfstone’s power enabled him to absorb the magic and legacy of the Druids as well, becoming the newest of their order, as Allanon had intended—though there is no doubt that even Walker would have been destroyed had he had not been strong enough and determined enough to withstand the torrent of magic that transformed him.

  The Black Elfstone is currently locked within a secret vault in Paranor, protected by Druid magic.

  South of the Matted Brakes, the twin towers of the Pykon straddle the broad channel of the Mermidon River as it passes toward Callahorn. The Pykon forms a natural gateway into the Rock Spur Mountains, which is guarded by the empty halls of an abandoned Elven fortress. Built in the early years of the new world, the great stone fortress has been empty since the Second War of the Races. The name of the keep and that of the ruler who built it are lost, but the fortress’ walls still stand, as if to remind any who pass this way of past glories. Its stone towers mark the southern extension of the Elven territories. In the days before the Second War of the Races, the Elves regularly patrolled the lands from the Irrybis northward. But in the aftermath of the Second War of the Races, outposts on the far edges of the realm were abandoned. The Elves pulled back into the northern forests and valleys nearer to Arborlon.

  Within the keep, passages wind through the stone of the mountain down to a hidden cove on the river. The expanse of the Rock Spur beyond the Pykon marks the end of the Elves’ influence.

  The Westland:

  Guardians of the Air

  Both Rovers and Wing Riders share a fierce independence that holds them apart from the rest of the world. It is fitting that both should end up as masters of the sky. —Walker Boh

  ky Elves

  The Elessedils control the land north of the Pykon, but they are not the only people within the Westland. They are not even the only Elves. In the early years of the Ballindarroch dynasty, a small group of Elven families left Arborlon to begin a settlement south of the kingdom’s borders, though no one remembers the exact incident that led to the migration. The families were among the contingent of Elves who had opposed the consolidation of Elven communities into a kingdom. By the time Jerle Shannara was born, most of the Elves within the kingdom had forgotten that those families had ever existed.

  The Elven expatriates established their settlement below the Irrybis Mountains, still within the Westland but beyond the influence of the Elven rulers. They built their village on a series of shoreline cliffs on the edge of a rugged, uncharted stretch of mountainous forest bordering the Great Divide and called it Sea Hove. Surviving as hunters and fishermen, the Elves established a community run by a Council of Elders that were voted on by their peers and ratified by the population at large. Theirs was the first representational government within the Four Lands.

  The settlers soon discovered that they had neighbors. A hunter stumbled on a rookery of giant birds in the cliffs a few miles from the settlement. The birds nested in caves that overlooked the waters of the Blue Divide. They named the birds after the Rocs of ancient legend.

  Wing Rider battles War Shrikes.

  At first the Elves were careful to avoid the rookery, but the size of the birds led some among them to dream of flight. They set out to communicate with the great birds and finally to train them to carry riders. The first attempts to harness and train the birds met with failure. The powerful animals were quite willing to accept the Elves within their rookery and to allow themselves to be touched, but they reacted violently to being controlled or ridden. A number of men lost their lives in falls from angry mounts as the great birds pitched and rolled several hundred feet off the ground. Refusing to give up, the Elves decided to begin w
orking with the fledglings.

  Unlike the mature Rocs, the babies did not object to having harness straps on their bodies. The Elves discovered that the adults were perfectly willing to allow access to the babies, so long as the Elves brought food to the nest. Further, each fledgling developed a bond with the Elf who worked with it. By the time the fledglings were able to fly, they had already developed a rapport with “their” Elf and were willing to trust him. It then became a simple matter to train the birds to the commands of their rider. The Rocs allowed the Elves to greatly expand their hunting and fishing territory. In exchange, the elves defended the rookery from the many predators that considered Roc eggs and chicks a delicacy. They also cared for any Rocs affected by illness or injury.

  Rocs

  Rocs are the largest bird in the known world. With a wingspan often in excess of thirty feet and the ability to carry several grown men, the birds have become the heart and soul of the community now called Wing Hove. Rocs come in a variety of colors, from a light golden color to blue-black, usually sporting bright red plumage around the crest, head, and neck. Though far from the fastest of the large birds, they are the most powerful. They can fly for up to three days without stopping for food or rest.

  The Rocs nest in caves, usually high up in coastal cliffs. They prefer to roost on high plateaus, though they will also roost in large trees or on a stone outcropping if nothing else is available. Rocs mate for life and often mourn bitterly at the death of their mate, though they can occasionally be convinced to take another. Their chicks mature quickly at first, but it takes two years before they are strong enough to carry a rider safely. Their average life span has increased since the Elves began to care for and protect them. A healthy adult often lives for over a hundred years, serving several Wing Riders during the course of its life.

  The birds’ favorite food is fish, though they are omnivorous and feed on vegetation, especially wild grains, and small mammals as well. Their main predator is the Shrike.

  In honor of their new alliance, the men who had bonded with the Rocs were given the title of Wing Riders, and the Elves renamed their village and its adjoining rookery Wing Hove. After a few generations, the older wild Rocs died out, leaving only the generations that were bonded with the Elves. The birds became members of their Wing Riders’ families, with a Roc often being passed from father to son. The Wing Riders became the chief providers for the community, for they were able to hunt game from the air and fly over the Blue Divide and spot schools of fish for the fishermen. The birds were capable of carrying several people, or one person and a large game animal.

  The Training of a Wing Rider

  A Wing Rider candidate begins training at a young age. Once nominated, he must train until adulthood, and must bond with a Roc. The oldest birds are used to train the youngest riders. At first, the candidates simply ride with a Wing Rider until they get used to flying. A root used to alleviate motion sickness is given to the boys until they no longer need its assistance. Once they are comfortable with flying, they are given more and more control until they are finally ready to fly alone. At the same time they are taught how to care for the birds, for without the Roc, there can be no Wing Rider. The care, feeding, grooming, and comfort of the Roc are paramount. The boys must care for the Rocs assigned to them before they are allowed to see to their own needs. The bird must be fed before they eat, and must be groomed and bedded before they sleep. Even the harness must be cleaned regularly to keep it strong and soft.

  The ability to fly a Roc is not enough to grant Wing Rider status, but only apprenticeship under the guidance of a Mentor who himself follows the requirements of the Master of Flight. The Master oversees the training of all young riders until they are granted Wing Rider status, at which point they are under the command of the Senior Wing Rider.

  Once an apprentice is ready to fly alone, he begins a series of training missions designed to teach him how to survive in the wild and how to perform the tasks a Wing Rider might be asked to perform. These missions grow in complexity and duration through the years until the boy reaches manhood. Because Wing Riders must be independent thinkers and often work alone, survival skills are emphasized. The only hard rules are that no apprentices may land within the Wilderun or travel to known War Shrike roosts. The boys must also learn fighting skills, both on land and from the air, as well as tracking, hunting, and fishing.

  When a boy reaches manhood, he must bond with a Roc. Sometimes Rocs are passed from father to son, or grandfather to grandson. In such cases the boy is often already well acquainted with the bird and they bond easily. Birds who are mourning for lost riders often find it more difficult to establish their next bond. It may take time for those Rocs to accept their new riders and bond as tightly as they did with the old.

  Young birds of training age are bonded with the oldest unpaired apprentices. These apprentices have the hardest path, for they must assist in the training of their young charges before they can become Wing Riders. The Master of Flight will guide them, but it is their hands and legs and their voice that must teach the commands and reassure the young birds when they are frightened. These apprentices take their birds out paired with their Mentors on his more experienced bird until the young Roc is comfortable with the requirements of a Wing Rider. The apprentice bonded to a young bird must often wait longer before gaining full Wing Rider status, for such status will not be given until their bird is ready to join the flight and perform its duties, but they have the additional prestige of having formed and guided that Roc for those who will follow after. Many of those who bond to maiden birds become Mentors or even Masters of Flight themselves.

  Once the apprentice has fulfilled the requirements of the Master of Flight and has bonded with and performed well on a fully trained Roc, he is granted full Wing Rider status. In the ceremony the Master of Flight presents the young Wing Rider with his own shiny calling whistle to replace the worn training whistle he has used previously. The boy can then not only call himself a man, but a Wing Rider—one of the elite who live in the freedom of the skies.

  Shrikes and War Shrikes

  Natives of coastal cliffs along the Blue Divide and the Tiderace, Shrikes are a fierce predatory hunting bird. Shrikes measure up to three feet in height and have occasionally been used for hunting, though they are difficult to train and impossible to truly tame. Ferocious fighters, they were rumored to have been used to hunt men in the barbaric days of the old kingdoms. They are a Roc’s chief enemy. Though far smaller than a Roc, Shrikes have been known to gang up on the larger bird and bring it down by sheer force of numbers. The only bird more dangerous than a Shrike is their larger cousin, the War Shrike.

  Unrivaled as a fighting bird, War Shrikes also live in colonies along the cliffs lining coastal plains, and have their nesting grounds on an island well out in the Blue Divide. Rarer than their cousin, they are only slightly smaller than a Roc but much faster over a short distance, leaner, and much meaner. All Shrikes are fiercely territorial, but War Shrikes will use their cruelly hooked beaks and razor-edged talons to fight to the death, with little thought for their own survival. When possible, a number of War Shrikes will also gang up on a Roc, whose only defense is to gain altitude and attempt to outdistance them. War Shrikes are fast short-range fliers but often will not follow a Roc beyond a certain distance.

  They cannot be trained or tamed, though there are rumors that the Ilse Witch has managed to capture and tame one with her magic and uses it to haunt the skies of the Four Lands—though even she must leave it hooded and hobbled when she is gone.

  After an attack by creatures that had wandered too far from the Wilderun, the Elves realized that the Rocs could also be trained to fight. Elves and Rocs began to experiment with different fighting styles on the ground and in the air. Together they managed to drive most of the predatory Shrikes from the area around Wing Hove and defeat the enemies of the Elves as well. The Wing Riders and their Rocs became the protectors of Wing Hove the way the Elven Hunters ha
d always protected Arborlon. The Wing Riders became the most honored and trusted members of Wing Hove, the symbol of their way of life. Soon most of the Council of Elders consisted of Wing Riders.

  The Sky Elves, as they now called themselves, did not reestablish contact with the Elves in Arborlon, whom they called the Land Elves, until the War of the Forbidding, at which point the Druid Allanon convinced them that the need was greater than their ancestral distrust of the monarchy. Only six members of the Hove flew to Arborlon at the Druid’s request, but those six helped turn the tide of battle, while their youngest apprentice managed to save the day by bringing Amberle Elessedil and the Ellcrys Seed back to Arborlon in time to end the war.

  The Wing Hove maintained sporadic contact with the Land Elves after the battle. When the Land Elves decided to seek a new homeland, the Wing Riders helped them to find an island suitable for relocation. They transported the Elven King and the Ruhk Staff to Morrowindl, never knowing that the Loden on the Staff held the entire city of Arborlon and her people.

  Once the Land Elves were gone, the Sky Elves realized that they were now the main targets for the Federation’s anti-Elven sentiment. The Federation would not care that they were a separate people; to the Federation, Elves were Elves, and the Irrybis Mountains were scant protection against the growing might of the Federation army. They moved Wing Hove to a series of islands offshore, where they could still access their hunting grounds but would be safe from discovery or attack. They told their few friends remaining on the mainland to light a signal fire if they were needed. After a century, they faded into legend.