Lodoss War č una famosa serie di romanzi fantasy, che narrano di varie avventure vissute a distanza di pochi anni, negli stessi luoghi, quali l'isola di Lodoss e l'isola maledetta di Marmo, da cui sono stati ispirati manga, videogiochi.
Le due storie pių famose sono quella delle avventure di Parn che comincia subito dopo la morte di Beld, il tiranno di Marmo(le quali intenzioni finale, non erano poi malvagie), e poi quella delle avventure di Spark che si svolge pochi anni dopo.
Qui di seguito riporto le storie in inglese, che ho trovato in un sito:
The second Heroes (Parn):
With Beld dead, Lord Ashram became commander of
the armies of Marmo. Ashram took the Demon Sword Soul Crusher
from his dead emperor's hand and returned to Marmo to claim the
throne. But first he had to master the Demon Sword, else its dark
power would master him. Through his great will and the strength
of his stone cold heart, the Demon Sword bent to his will, and
Ashram became the master of Demon within, thus ruling Marmo.
With Beld dead, Lord Ashram became commander of the armies of
Marmo. Ashram took the Demon Sword Soul Crusher from his dead
emperor's hand and returned to Marmo to claim the throne. But
first he had to master the Demon Sword, else its dark power would
master him. Through his great will and the strength of his stone
cold heart, the Demon Sword bent to his will, and Ashram became
the master of Demon within, thus ruling Marmo.
But ambitions were high on Marmo. The evil wizard Wagnard, a dark
priest of Kardis, had plans to resurrect the ancient goddess in
the belief that she would grant him immortality. To perform the
rites to resurrect her, he would have to have the Scepter of
Domination and the magical blood of a High Elf. To get the
Scepter, he would need to defeat Shooting Star. Only an army
could slay such a dragon, and Ashram commanded such an army.
Tricking his master, Wagnard convinced Ashram that if he had the
Scepter, he could control all of Lodoss. Ashram and his army set
out to claim the Scepter, with Wagnard's priests not far behind.
Meanwhile, agents of Wagnard moved out to find and capture a High
Elf. The most prominent and easy to find High Elf was Deedlit, a
hero in the war against Beld. The agents (lead by the dark elf
Pirotess), failed to capture her, as Parn, Orson, and Shiris came
to her aid. Wagnard punished the returning dark elf with a
hellish death, but Pirotess escaped her fate by joining Ashram on
his quest for the Scepter.
King Kashue lead a combined Valis/Flaim army to Fire Dragon
Mountain where Shooting Star layed waiting, for recently the
Ancient Dragon had been terrorizing the villages of Flaim.
Unknown to him, Ashram's army was also approching Fire Dragon
Mountain with a different goal in mind.
While Shooting Star took leave of his volcanic abode to attack
Kashue's army, Ashram's party snuck inside to claim the Scepter.
Unbeknownst to Ashram, Kashue's party had also managed to get
inside the volcano, armed with enchanted Dragonslayer Lances of
Myrii. Sensing that the Scepter had been stolen, Shooting Star
screamed back to his home, furious with rage.
The two opposing parties clashed inside the volcano and a battle
ensued. The battle was short, however, as Shooting Star thunders
back into his home. But Scepter in hand, Ashram commands the
beast to yield, and by its magic Shooting Star could not oppose.
Shooting Star, knowing he could not directly attack the holder of
the Scepter, creatively decided to cause a cave-in to kill
Ashram, smashing his tail and wings on the ceiling and walls.
Pirotess pushed Ashram out of harms way, but in so doing slipped
over the edge of a cliff. Ashram, desperate to save the only
thing he ever loved, dropped the Scepter to rescue her. Taking
advantage of the situation, one of Wagnard's followers grabbed
the artifact and teleported away.
Now free of the Scepter's control, Shooting Star prepared to
annihilate the intruders. Furious with Ashram, he pours out his
rage in fiery dragon breath. Pirotess, loyal to Ashram to the
last, sacrifices herself to save him by jumping in front of the
blast. She dies in Ashram's arms, proclaiming her love to him.
Dragonslayer Lances in hand, Parn, Orson, and Kashue charged
Shooting Star and inflicted mortal wounds to him. The dragon
died, lashing furiously about, causing the entire volcano to
collapse. Parn, Kashue and the others fled, but Ashram remained,
clutching his dead love in his arms, embracing death to join her.
Parn, Kashue, Deedlit, and Orson returned to Castle Akrohd in
Flaim after their triumphant victory against Shooting Star. But
their victory was short lived for Wagnard was still on the move.
This time the evil wizard appeared to personally capture Deedlit.
Parn was helpless to stop the sorcerer from taking her, and
watched as the maniacal conjurer teleported away with her. He is
desperate to get her back, and starts off on a new quest with his
friends to find her. As a gift, Princess Fianna gives Parn the
mighty Holy Sword of Falis, the enchanted blade that had once
belonged to King Fahn.
Ashram awaked at the base of the ruined volcano, alive and well,
and wondering how he survived. It was Karla who saved him from
the bury, fiery death in the volcano of Fire Dragon Mountain. Now
forever changed by the death and sacrifice of Pirotess, Ashram
swears vengeance on all. Vengeance against Wagnard and vengeance
against Parn whom he blames for the death of Pirotess. Yet,
unknown to Ashram, Karla had also resurrected Pirotess, and they
will one day meet again in accordance to her plans...
Parn and the others battled their way into the dark temple on
Marmo. From the north, the Golden Dragon Mycen approached to
assist, but the evil Narse intercepted Mycen, and the two Ancient
Dragons locked in mortal combat over the Temple.
Ashram also managed to sneek into the Temple, and was the first
to face off with Wagnard. As Wagnard's priests began the
resurrection of Kardis, and Deedlit's life-force drained away,
Wagnard and Ashram enter combat. Ashram was no match for Wagnard,
his power ever-growing from the dark energies of the awakening
Goddess of Destruction.
Finally, Parn arrives at Temple Chamber of Kardis, only to be
confronted by both Ashram and Wagnard. Together, the two warriors
are able to push Wagnard back and into a pit of seething dark
energy. Thinking Wagnard dead, Ashram turned to face Parn. Parn,
desperate to stop the resurrection of Kardis and save Deedlit,
beseeched Ashram to yield and help him save the high elf and all
of Lodoss. Ashram, no longer carrying for anything but vengeance,
simply attacked Parn.
As Ashram and Parn battle, time was running out. Wagnard suddenly
reappeared, his life and body immortalized by Kardis's power.
Wagnard blasted Ashram with a wave of energy, knocking him out,
then turned to finish off Parn. But as the insane sorcerer
prepares to kill the valiant hero, the Dark Knight of Marmo
impaled Wagnard with his powerful Demon Sword. As Wagnard's
shattered soul died and flickers away, he unleashed the last of
his death-energy into Ashram, killing him.
With both Wagnard and Ashram finally dead, Parn rushed to save
Deedlit. But an impenetrable energy field surrounded the altar of
Kardis. The Holy Sword of Falis in one hand and the Demon Sword
Soul Crusher in the other, energy of light and darkness seethed
around his body. Bravely, he leapt into the air, screaming in
desperation to slay the coming Goddess of Destruction. Crashing
down upon the barrier, the crackling energy of the two opposing
swords annihilated the energy field. The great spells of the
unholy resurrection are shattered. Parn rescued Deedlit from her
fate, and the dark goddess returned to her eternal slumber.
All was well once more, in the enchanted land of Lodoss. But
nothing lasts forever...
This is the currant age after the destruction of the evil Wagnard.
Parn, Deedlit, and the others have returned to Valis as heroes.
Lodoss has been saved, and all the lands are free again. But evil
still plagues the land. The water dragon Eibra still waits off
the coast of Raiden, guarding his Crystal of Souls on Blue Dragon
Island. Many other treasures remain scattered across Lodoss. The
treasure of Narse, remains untouched. The once prosperous land of
Kannon lies in smoldering ruin, still occupied by a standing
Marmo army which, according to Valis spies, is once more on the
move. And, somewhere, the Grey Witch Karla plans her next game of
pawns and kings but until then lodoss will be in peace once again.
A new Age (Spark):
Ten year have passed since the battle at Fire
Dragon Mountain. Kanon and parts of Alania have been under the
tyrannical control of Marmo for over fifteen years, since the War
of Heroes climatic end. In Alania, the treacherous Duke Raster,
ally to the Marmo, has made his move to bring all of Alania under
his control. Should the rest of Alania fall, the Marmo would have
opened for them a gateway to storm into the kingdoms of Flaim and
Valis.
King Kashue has made plans to send his armies into Alania, and
make sure Duke Raster and his Marmo allies are crushed, before
they can take control of the entire kingdom. But Marmo controlled
Kanon poses a direct threat to Valis. Parn and Deedlit have plans
of their own to liberate Kanon, but the threat posed by Duke
Raster is an even greater concern. Once Raster has been
overthrown, and the Marmo threat removed from Alania, Flaim and
Valis would then together turn their attention to freeing Kanon,
and crush the last of the Marmo forces on Lodoss.
The Soul Crystal Ball
But ambitions were also high on Marmo. The evil wizard Wagnard,
High priest of Kardis, had plans to resurrect the ancient goddess
in the belief that she would grant him every power of magic. To
perform the rites to resurrect her, he would have to have three
things -- the Soul Crystal Ball, the Staff of Life, and the life
sacrifice of the "Doorway", who held the reincarnated
spirit of the High Priestess of Kardis (Leylia or her daughter,
Little Neese). But only Little Neese was 'pure', and thus she was
the "Doorway".
Dark Elves under the command of Wagnard break into the Treasury
House of Castle Akroyd in Blade, capital of Flaim, and steal the
Soul Crystal Ball. Spark, a brash young knight in training,
attempts to stop them, but fails, and the dark elves escape.
After talking with Slayn, Parn and King Kashue learn of Wagnard's
plans, and know the he will next try to obtain the Staff of Life
which is being held in the Temple of Falis in Valis. Kashue
assigns Spark the task to pursuing the dark elves (who are on
their way to Valis as well), and to attempt to recover the Soul
Crystal Ball. He also gives Spark a message to deliver to King
Etoh, telling Etoh of Wagnard's plans to steal the Staff of Life.
Spark and his party (Garrack, Leaf, Greevus, and Aldonova) set
off at once. But unbeknownst to them, they are being followed by
a cloaked figure. She is none other than Slayn and Leylia's
daughter, Little Neese, who is the Doorway and whose destiny is
the destiny of all Lodoss.
At a southern fortress in Flaim, Spark receives more information
about the dark elves who were spotted by two people in the desert
(Randy and Ryna). Randy had been greatly injured, and Ryna feared
for his life. When Greevus, priest of Myrii, tries to heal Randy,
a sadistic magical booby-trap set by the dark elves is sprung,
and Randy's body transforms into a gigantic hydra. During the
battle, Neese appears and with her holy magic turns the hydra
into dust.
Darkness Rising
Meanwhile, Duke Raster has made his big push to conqure the rest
of Alania. His forces, along with contingents of Marmo
mercenaries, storm into the free northern provences of Alania.
Master Cecil and the troops under his command fight valiantly to
protect the city of Zaxon. But Raster's army is too strong, and
Cecil is force to withdraw to the town of Tarba, high in the
White Mountains.
Hearing reports of the Dark Elves who stole the Soul Crystal
Ball, Spark and the others set off on their persuit again. But
when they finally defeat them, they do not find the Crystal Ball.
The party then sets off once more to complete their mission to
deliver the message from King Kashue to King Etoh, with the hopes
of securing the Staff of Life in Valis.
Culmination of Conflict
Meanwhile, Parn and Deedlit make their way to Marmo occupied
Kanon, and make contact with the Free Army, lead by Prince Reona
(rightful heir to the throne of Kanon), who oppose the Marmo. It
is their hope to liberate Kanon and drive the armies of Marmo
back to their dark island. But at the same time, the ruling
council of Marmo has decided to replace the mad dictator, Rabido,
who governs the Marmo territories of Kanon, due to his excess,
greed, and personal ambition. Ashram himself, along with
Pirotess, are dispatched to "deal with the situation".
Both Parn and Ashram seek to bring order to Kanon, each in their
own ways, and little do they know their destines are about to
cross once more...
Rabido orders his army to crush the Free Army once and for all,
despite Ashram's orders for him to stand down as governor. Rabido
also orders for all the villagers to be killed and the capital
city to be burned down should the Free Army win. Aware of this,
Ashram personally frees the villagers and sends them out of harms
way. In the battle against the Free Army, Rabido is defeated, and
killed by Prince Reona. Parn and Deedlit make it to the capital,
only to find it abandoned. There they encounter Ashram and
Pirotess, and Parn engages Ashram in combat. The Dark Knight
defeats him, but spares Parn's life out of respect.
In Alania, King Kashue's army continues their push to defeat Duke
Rastor. They succeed in driving his forces back to Alan, the
capital city, and there surrounded it to lay seige. For weeks,
Rastor continues to refuse to surrender, and King Kashue is
forced to face him to put an end to his tyranny. With ease,
Kashue slays Rastor, feeing all of Alania.
Spark and the others make it to Roid, capital of Valis, and
deliver the message to Etoh. In Roid they stumble upon Marmo
agents planning to capture the Staff of Life, held in the Temple
of Falis, but their discovery comes too late. In order to stop
Wagnard once and for all, Spark and Little Neese know they must
face him. Together, they and their comrads set off for the Marmo
occupid territories of Kanon.
Liberation
The party makes its way through Kanon, and they meet up the Parn,
Deedlit, and the Free Army, who are still fighting to liberate
the beseiged kingdom. But during a banquet celebration, the
sinister wizard, Wagnard, appears and captures Neese. Spark is
powerless to stop him, for the Dark Necromancy is far to powerful.
He watches in horror as Wagnard kidnaps her, and teleports
himself back to his castle, Conquera, on Marmo.
Moving on with their plans, Parn, Spark, and the others, along
with the Free Army, make their way to Rood, the major port city
of Kanon, to secure the coast in preperation to invade Marmo.
King Kashue and King Etoh also depatch their armies to join them.
The Free Army of Kanon storms the city of Rood and breaches the
city wall. In the decisive battle, the Marmo forces are pushed
back to the port, and withdraw in their ships. Ashram himself
makes a hasty escape aboard his flagship, leading his soldiers
back to Marmo. In his heart, Ashram knows he is defeated and can
only watch as his dreams of uniting Lodoss crumble. But his true
desire is only to save his people, the people of Marmo. And to
that end he begins planning their exodus from Lodoss.
The Isle of Marmo
Parn, Spark, and the others follow quickly after, taking a ship
of their own to Marmo, where in the Castle Conquera, Wagnard
still holds Neese, preparing for the terrible ritual which will
resurrect the Dark Goddess of Destruction. But the island of
Marmo is hostile place, and the group of heroes must battle their
way through swamps and hordes of monsters. Finally, to their
dismay, they face down with the most terrifying foe of all... The
Black Dragon Narse!
The heroes fight valiantly, but Narse is too powerful for them.
But just before the Black Dragon finishes them off, Shiris, Queen
of Moss and leader of the Dragon Riders, arrives with the Dragon
Riders at her side. They take up the battle against Narse while
Spark, Parn, and the others make their way further towards the
Castle Conquera. The Golden Dragon Mycen soon joins the fight
against Narse, and the mighty dragon of light quickly slays the
evil dragon of Marmo.
As the party continues onward to Conquera, they are intercepted
by Karla, the Grey Witch, who has been manipulating events to
keep the balance of Lodoss in check. She has seen that, despite
all her attempts to control the kings and kingdoms of Lodoss, the
scales of balance have fallen out of order. She knows that Parn
and his allies are too strong, just as Wagnard has become too
strong. If he resurrects Kardis, all of Lodoss will be destroyed,
and Darkness will reign supreme. But if Parn and the other stop
him, the forces of Light will stand victorious. She, the keeper
of eternal Grey, asks Parn and the others to give up their lives.
She swears to them that if they do, she will destroy Wagnard for
them, and stop the resurrection of Kardis. But they refuse her
deal, and push on, confident that they will be able to overcome
the dark sorcerer on their own.
With little opposition, the party makes their way into Castle
Conquera, and begins down a labyrinth interior. Along they way
they encounter Ashram and Pirotess, who are making final
preparations to depart from Marmo and leave Lodoss with their
followers. Parn once more engages Ashram in combat, while Spark
and the others continue through Conquera to find Neese. But in
their dual, the two heroes find they are equally matched, and
neither truly wishes to kill the other, for they have come to
understand that each of them is fighting for what he believes in.
Ashram, his ambitions of ruling a united Lodoss now only a
distant memory, wishes only to take his lost people from Marmo
and sail away to find a new country to begin again. Parn and
Ashram put their swords away, and the opposing heroes part
company, never to see each other again. Ashram and his followers
set sail for the Great Unknown...
Witches, Warlocks, and Worse
Meanwhile, deep within the heart of Conquera, Wagnard draws his
terrible ritual to a close. The soul of the evil priestess Neneel
awakens within her, conjured by the necromantic invocations.
Naneel traps Neese in the prison of her mind and takes control
over her body, awakening from her generations of slumber!
All too late, Spark and the others burst in on the ritual, only
to see the last, terrible rites are underway. Karla has appeared,
and just as she had promised, she now assists Wagnard in the
resurrection of Kardis, believe it to be key for balancing Light
and Dark. The Heroes rush forth, desperate to stop the ceremony
and save Neese.
In a desperate attack, Spark and Garrack make a rush Wagnard, but
the dark sorcerer strikes Garrack down, killing him. Just as
Garrack falls, Spark plunges his sword through Wagnard's chest.
The sorcerer dies screaming, disintegrating in the maelstrom of
the sinister powers that explode chaotically from his dying body.
Calmly, Karla continues the chat, unphased by Leylia's plea to
stop. Moments before the last words of the incantation are
spoken, Parn comes down with is sword and knocks the enchanted
circlet from her head, freeing the victim the Grey Witch had
possessed and put to an end her invocation.
And yet, even as they begin to celebrate their victory, the sky
darkens, the air fills with terror, and the ground trembles in
fear. Neneel, the High Priestess of Kardis, whose soul was
reincarnated within Neese, has awakened and it is she who
finishes the calling to her dark goddess! Kardis the destroyer
has awakened, and the spirits of darkness are unleashed upon the
world!
Dark Goddess Awakens!
Black clouds expand form Marmo, sweeping over all of Lodoss.
Terrible Death Spirits swarm from the temple of Kardis in
Conquera, killing thousands in the raving plight of final doom.
All have given up hope... All but one. Spark, sill desperate to
save Neese, charges the Dark Goddess even as she manifests before
him in all her horrific glory. As the body of Neese/Neneel sinks
back into a netherworldly ream of the dark goddess, Spark jumps
after her, landing the strange, dreamy plane where Neeses's soul
is held captive. There he faces both Neneel and Neese, and learns
of their duel nature. Both are one, inseparable and the same --
Neneel a priestess of the dark goddess Kardis, and Neese a young
priestess of the earth goddess Marfa -- both deities mortal
enemies, and yet, inseparable and the same. Spark inspires Neese
not to give up, and she fights on they only way she can --
seeming to surrender, she opens herself to Naneel, and the dark
priestess gladly takes possession of her soul. Both souls become
one, and Neese surrounds the dark essense of Naneel, trapping her.
The dark priestess realizes her mistake, but it is too late.
Final Victory
Marfa, the holy goddess of earth, has been summoned by Neese, and
in a rainbow of light descends from the heaven's to unite with
Kardis, just as Neese united her soul with Naneel. The Dark
Goodess and Earth Mother become as one, and the powers of
darkness are sealed. The black clouds sweep away, the death
spirits vanish from sight, and peace returns to Lodoss.
The heroes return victorious. Neese has been save, all of Lodoss
has be freed from the shadow of Marmo, and the destruction the
ressurrected Kardis would have wrought was averted. Parn is
bestowed with the title "Knight of Lodoss" for his
valor, and Spark is finally knighted by King Kashue. All is well
once more in Lodoss.