Deltora Quest 3 facts for kids

Deltora Quest 3 (also called Dragons of Deltora in North America) is an exciting series of fantasy books for young readers. It was written by Australian author Emily Rodda. This series continues the amazing adventures of three brave friends: Lief, Barda, and Jasmine.

Their new quest takes them across the magical land of Deltora. They must find and wake up the last seven dragons. These dragons are needed to defeat the Four Sisters. The evil Shadow Lord created these Sisters. They are poisoning Deltora's crops, making people and creatures starve.

The series has four books. They were first published in Australia in 2004. Scholastic published them in the United States in 2005. This series follows Deltora Quest and Deltora Quest 2 (also known as Deltora Shadowlands). All three series share the same characters and fictional world. Together, they are known as the Deltora Quest series.

The books in this series are:

• Dragon's Nest
• Shadowgate
• Isle of the Dead
• The Sister of the South

Who are the Main Characters?

The Deltora Quest 3 series features the same main heroes from the earlier books. They are:

• Lief: The young King of Deltora. He is brave and determined.
• Barda: Lief's loyal bodyguard and friend. He is strong and wise.
• Jasmine: A wild girl from the Forests of Silence. She is quick, resourceful, and has a special connection with animals.

Together, they face many dangers to save their land.

Who Guards the Four Sisters?

Just like the gems of Deltora had guardians in the first Deltora Quest series, the Four Sisters each have a guardian. These guardians protect the Sisters for the Shadow Lord.

Rolf, Guardian of the East

Rolf is a creature called a Capricon. He works for the Shadow Lord. Lief and his friends first meet Rolf in the Os-Mine Hills. He is the guardian of the Sister of the East. Rolf pretends to be a prince and joins Lief's group. He tries to trick them and destroy their escorts. Later, it is revealed he can change into a ruby dragon. He tries to stop the heroes at Dragon's Nest. But the real Ruby Dragon and Lief defeat him.

Kirsten, the Masked One

Kirsten is a sorceress who guards the Sister of the North. Lief, Barda, and Jasmine find her in a castle in the mountains. Kirsten became bitter after her boyfriend chose her sister instead of her. She then joined the Shadow Lord for revenge. The Shadow Lord gave her magic powers. She became the Masked One, a dark figure with a green mask. Her touch could kill people. She used her powers to control Bede and trap her sister Mariette. Kirsten also created phantom copies of herself to fight her enemies.

When the heroes reached her castle, they thought Bede was controlling her. But Bede secretly helped them understand the truth. Kirsten almost killed Barda and Jasmine. However, Lief jumped into a snake pit where the Sister of the North was kept. The snakes bit Kirsten, slowly killing her.

Doran, the Dragonlover

Doran was Deltora's greatest explorer. He was known as "Dragonfriend" by the dragons. He was a kind and noble man who became friends with Deltora's dragons. He even explored the underworld and befriended the Pirran people. When most dragons were killed, Doran helped the remaining ones go into a deep sleep. They would only wake when Adin's heir, wearing the Belt, called them.

Doran later realized that by putting the dragons to sleep, he had accidentally helped the Shadow Lord's plan. The dragons would have stopped the Shadow Lord from planting the Four Sisters. Doran then drew a map showing where the Sisters were hidden. He wanted the map delivered to the King, but people thought he was crazy. The Shadow Lord found Doran's map and tore it into four pieces.

Doran disappeared while trying to find another way to defeat the Sisters. It was later revealed that the Shadow Lord captured him. As punishment, Doran was forced to become the immortal guardian of the Sister of the West. The Sister was kept inside his own body. He was found in the Kobb's lair on the Isle of the Dead. Lief and his group met him there. Doran was sad to learn the diamond dragon was gone, but happy to know her daughter was alive. Veritas, the amethyst dragon, had to destroy Doran to destroy the Sister of the West. Doran died peacefully, turning to dust, knowing there was still hope for Deltora.

Paff, Guardian of the South

Paff was a young girl who became an assistant librarian. But she was secretly a servant of the Shadow Lord. She was made the guardian of the Sister of the South in the Shadowlands. Paff was very cruel. She tricked Josef, the librarian, into giving her information. When she no longer needed him, she poisoned him. Lief and Doom felt pity for her as she died. It seemed Paff willingly joined the Shadow Lord because she felt unloved.

What Riddles and Codes are in the Books?

The books are full of interesting riddles, poems, and secret codes. Here are a few of them:

Map Pieces Poem

Doran the Dragonlover made four map pieces. Each piece helped Lief find one of the Four Sisters. Each map piece also had one-fourth of a poem.

The full poem said:

Sisters four with poisoned breath/ Bring to the land a long slow death.
But death comes swiftly if you dare/ To find each sisters hidden lair.
Their songs like secret rivers flow/ To hold the peril deep below.<kbr>And if at last their voices cease/ The land will find a final peace.

The heroes thought this meant the Shadow Lord would give up if all four Sisters were defeated.

Sisters' Warning Stones

At the entrance to each Sister's hiding place, there was a stone with a poem carved into it. These poems warned travelers to stay away.

At the entrance to Dragon's Nest, the stone said:

Travellers do not pass this way, all are doomed who disobey.
Turn your faces to the west, death awaits in Dragon's Nest.

At the entrance to Kirsten's castle, the poem was:

Do not enter this domain, flee this realm of fear and pain.
Death and terror both await, those who enter Shadowgate.

At the rock bridge on the Isle of the Dead, the stone said:

If you pass your fate is sealed, ahead pure evil lies concealed.
Turn while you have life and breath, flee this realm of living death.

Under the chapel altar in the palace, the carved stone was different. It was not a warning. Instead, it was a challenge directly to Lief. It read:

Lose and win? Or win and lose? Royal coward, you must choose.
Bow your head and creep away, or you and yours will curse this day.

Fa-Glin's Code

One code came from a character named Fa-Glin. It was written in groups of four letters. When translated, the code revealed a message about how hard life was on Dread Mountain. It talked about crops failing and food being scarce.